Having started this fourth verse of the first chapter of John’s gospel, I think it necessary to stop here and consider why John’s gospel differs so much from the other three. Why did God inspire John to put such an emphasis on our God-man Mediator, our Lord Jesus Christ? There indeed is a reason and that is for the comfort of His people.
When we understand the origin of our spiritual life, we can fully rest assured as Abraham that what God has promised He is fully able to perform, Romans 4:21. The scriptures teach us “For all the promises of God in him [are] yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” 2 Corinthians 1:20. Our God-man Mediator has been our Mediator from before creation.
His inheritance was promised Him before creation “Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” Hebrews 1:9. “I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou [art] my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give [thee] the heathen [for] thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth [for] thy possession.” Psa 2:8, 9.
We learn from John what Paul taught “that you are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God.” Col 3:3. Anything and everything that a child of God possesses he or she possesses by virtue of his or her union with Jesus Christ from everlasting. When God the Father gave us to Christ, then were all the blessings of Christ given to us as we were in Him.
Let's consider the following doctrines taught in the scriptures:
The Two Biblical Federal Headships Compared.
Romans 5:12-21 “12Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
13(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
14Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
15But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
16And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
17For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.
18Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
19For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
20Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
21That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord."
1 Corinthians 15:21, 22 “21For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."
The LORD God had a purpose when He created man. Genesis 1:26 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”
According to His purpose, Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God (God-man, Jesus Christ) created he him; male and female created he them.”
Adam was the first created man, created in the image of God, formed from the dust of the ground. Genesis 2:7 “And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 1:28, 29 “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which [is] upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which [is] the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.”
Adam violated the LORD God’s commandment forbidding him from eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:16, 17 “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou may freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shall not eat of it: for in the day that thou eat thereof thou shall surely die.”
The punishment of Adam’s disobedience was death. Genesis 3:6 “And when the woman saw that the tree [was] good for food, and that it [was] pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make [one] wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”
The fifth chapter of Romans teaches us in verse 12 that “by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned.” Adam, the first created man, sinned and brought death upon all his posterity as they were in him. All of mankind with respect to natural birth come out of Adam; therefore, when Adam sinned, every one of his posterity sinned in him. When death came to Adam, it came to all his posterity in him. This is reiterated in verse 15, "through the offense of one, many be dead.”
Romans 5:16 teaches us “the judgment was by one unto condemnation.” Adam’s sin brought God’s judgment of condemnation upon him and according to verse 18 “by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation.” Adam’s offence brought condemnation upon all his posterity. When the LORD God condemned Adam, He condemned all of his posterity in him.
Romans 5:17 teaches us that “by one man’s (i.e. Adam’s) offense death reigned by one.” When Adam sinned, he died. Genesis 2:17 “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shall not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Adam’s death reigned over all of his posterity in him. There are none in Adam according to their physical birth over whom death does not reign.
Romans 5:19 teaches us “by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners.” Adam’s disobedience made many sinners. The many did not need to sin on their own; they were already made sinners by Adam’s one act of disobedience.
Consider some additional teaching from the fifteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians. Verse 21 teaches us “by man came death.” Comparing this verse to the verse following and with the fifth chapter of Romans we understand by man to mean by Adam. Adam brought death upon all of his posterity that would come forth from him by natural generation. Verse 22 teaches us that “in Adam all die.” All that were in Adam died because Adam’s death was their death by virtue of their natural union with and in Adam.
To state this more plainly, earthly men and women do not sin and thereby become sinners, but, rather, because all earthly, natural men and women were in Adam when he sinned, they sinned. And, because they come out of Adam already sinners, they sin. Also, because they sinned in Adam, they died when Adam died. Earthly men and women do not die because they themselves sin, but, rather, as a consequence of Adam’s sin, they sinned and died in Adam.
This doctrine is oftentimes called the federal headship of Adam. By that, we understand that what Adam did, all of his progeny did in him, as they were yet to come forth in succession from his seed in natural successive births (generations.)
This form of teaching is found in other scripture as well. Consider Hebrews 7:5-10 “5And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: 6But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises. 7And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better. 8And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. 9And as I may so say, Levi also, who receives tithes, paid tithes in Abraham. 10For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him."
Consider specifically, the last two verses. “Levi also, who received tithes, paid tithes in Abraham. For he was yet in the loins of his father when Mechisedec met him.” When Abraham returned from the slaughter of kings, Mechisedec met Abraham and Mechisedec blessed Abraham. Abraham, in turn, gave Melchisedec a tenth part of all, Genesis 14:18-20. Abraham himself personally paid tithes to Mechisedec, but in verses 9 and 10 we are taught that Levi, who according to the Mosaic Law received tithes from the children of Israel, also paid tithes in Abraham because he was still in the loins of his father (literally, great-grandfather) Abraham when Medchisedec met Abraham.
According to this teaching set forth by Paul, Adam was the personal, earthly, physical representative of mankind. Adam’s sin was everyone’s sin. Adam’s condemnation was everyone’s condemnation. Adam’s punishment of death was everyone’s punishment of death.
A question might be asked regarding Eve and her standing in Adam. 1 Corinthians 11:8 teaches “For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.” In other words, the man (Adam) was not created out of a woman, but the woman as formed from the rib out of the man. How was Eve formed? Genesis 2:21-24 “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This [is] now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
When the LORD God gave Adam the commandment not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Eve had not yet been formed from his rib. 1 Timothy 2:14, 15 reiterates this. “For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” So, Eve coming from Adam sinned out of Adam as she was in Adam in the beginning. This is a very important point to remember.
The scriptures have taught us that all men and women and their offspring since the creation of Adam are united in Adam (one in Adam) as he was the first man. By consequence of our created natural union with Adam, we shared in his sin and its judgment of death and condemnation. We are living souls, but are dead spiritually to God by our earthly natural generation.
Now, consider Paul’s statement in Romans 5:14 regarding Adam that should be given much more consideration. The fourteenth verse tells us that Adam “..is the figure of him that was to come.” How is Adam the figure of him that was to come? Who is meant by him that was to come?
The answers to these two questions are quite simply to answer when we consider how Adam is contrasted to Jesus Christ in this fifth chapter of Romans. In the ten verses just presented (12-21), Adam and Jesus Christ are compared.
We were taught how that when Adam sinned, died, and brought about God’s judgment of condemnation, we all sinned, died and suffered the sentence of condemnation. In contrast, let us see what the scriptures teach us about Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:15 “But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.”
The free gift is far superior to the offense of Adam. The force of the words, much more the grace of God and the gift by grace, display that the free gift is superior in that it has its origin out of God. The grace of God and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ abounded to many. When did this grace and this gift originate? How is it that Adam was a figure of him that was to come?
Ephesians 1:3, 4 “Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly [places] in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him.”
God blessed us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before Him.
2 Thessalonians 2:13 “But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.”
God chose His children to be the recipients of His grace and gift by grace in Christ from the beginning.
Christ Jesus is the figure Who was to come. 1 Corinthians 15:22 “for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” In Adam is sin, death and condemnation. In Christ is righteousness, life and justification.
As all come out of Adam by natural birth, so the children of God chosen by God before the foundation of the world, in the beginning in Christ, come out of Him by birth from above. “You must be born again.” John 3:7. Literally, “You must be born from above.”
As in Adam there is none good, no, not one, much more are the promises of God in Christ for His children yea and amen. 1 Corinthians 1:30 “But of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.”
As we are one with Adam in our natural states, so are we much more the recipients of the grace and blessings and gifts of God in Christ in our spiritual states. Though we are in Adam in the timely state, we were first in Christ before time.
As Adam was given dominion over all things after His natural creation, and forfeited this dominion in his disobedience, much more by the obedience of Christ did He manifest His dominion over all things and purchased all by His offering Himself on the cross. Much more is Christ head over all things visible and invisible.
The superiority of God’s gracious, free gift far exceeds anything that mere man could possibly do. Adam’s sin cannot thwart God’s grace and purpose in Jesus Christ. Therefore, while Paul appears to be teaching a comparison, he is actually contrasting Adam’s fallibility to Jesus Christ’s infallibility, Adam’s earthly origin to Jesus Christ’s heavenly origin, and the consequences of Adam’s sin to the fruits and effects of Jesus Christ’s redemption.
The everlasting covenant made between God and His Christ was prior to creation. It was/is God the Father’s intention to have fellowship with His Son and through His Son with His children that are in His Son. As Eve by nature was taken out of Adam, so we by love and election are taken out of Christ, the Angel/Messenger of the Covenant. As Adam is our earthly father, much more is Christ our everlasting Father!
The children of God were God the Father’s own children before He gave them to Christ. John 17:6 “..They were yours and you gave them to me..” This giving was from the beginning, before the foundation of the world.
1 Corinthians 2:32 “Christ is God’s” (Son) and in Christ “ye are Christ’s.” Christ’s punishment was our punishment. Christ’s life is our life. Christ’s faith is our faith. Colossians 3:3 "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
The fruits of Adam’s disobedience are death and, according to Galatians 5:19-21, “..the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told [you] in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Much more, the fruit of the Spirit of Christ is, according to Galatians 5:22, 23, “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
Though we are by (Adamic) nature the children of wrath, even as others, much more in Christ are we from the beginning "not appointed to wrath, but to obtain salvation by Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 5:9.
As Jesus Christ (God-man) is the Father’s Vine, even so by God’s election are we the fruitful branches in the Vine, John 15. The unfruitful branches are condemned already and shall be taken away and burned.
Because we are God’s children in Christ, all of Christ’s inheritance and benefits are ours as sons and daughters of God, heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ. Galatians 4:6 “And because you are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” Because we ARE SONS, we receive the benefits of our pre-creative election in and, therefore, union in with Christ. We are born from above because we are the sons of God, not to make us sons of God.
Consider our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, Who manifested Himself as Jehovah with His great glory in Old Testament times, but, who, for our sakes, took upon Himself the form of a servant. That is, took upon Himself, not the form of Jehovah, but of His brethren and for His brethren. Philippians 2:5-11. Hebrews 2:14 “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.”
He took upon Himself our form of flesh and blood because we were God’s children and thereby He was made sin for us, Who knew no sin. He tasted the death of Adam for us, the children of God “that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” He redeemed us back to God. He delivered us from death and darkness.
Hebrews2:11 “For both he that sanctifies (Jesus Christ) and they who are sanctified (the children of God by election of God in Christ) [are] all of one (God): for which cause he (our Lord Jesus Christ) is not ashamed to call them brethren,(because they have the same heavenly Father and are one.)” Ephesians 5:30 "For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones."
Consider the many parables of Jesus in the New Testament. He teaches us that there are sheep and goats. Sheep do not become goats, nor do goats become sheep. The same is true of the wheat and tares. The children of God have been in Christ from the beginning, before the foundation of the world.
In time, at God’s appointed time, He births us into Christ’s life. This life works out our salvation manifesting the fruit of the Spirit. Until such a time as God births us, we are not distinguishable from any other Adamic man or woman.
God’s attributes of love and immutability prove that we were His children from the beginning, before the foundation of the world. Did God hate us as He did Esau, but change His mind and then love us when “we did something that pleased Him (‘personal faith?’)” No! He has loved us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3) as He has ever seen us as in Christ.
Christ is the second man from heaven to Whom belongs all dominion and power and glory and honor, and we, by virtue of our election in Him from the beginning, share and will share in all of these blessings with Him forever and ever. As the woman was taken out of Adam, so are we taken out of Christ. He is the Bridegroom. We are His bride. As Eve was flesh of Adam’s flesh, so are we of His flesh and os His bones.
As Adam loved his wife and he knew her and the two became one flesh, so also God loved us and gave us to be one with Christ and we are one flesh. Adam was made a living soul. Christ was made a life-giving spirit.
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